When the ancient Polynesians invented surfing, they often used a paddle to help them navigate. Fast-forward a few millennia, and Stand-Up Paddleboarding, or SUP, finds itself trendy again. Part of its increasing popularity is that standing upright allows surfers to spot waves more easily and thus catch more of them, multiplying the fun factor. Paddling back to the wave becomes less of a strain as well. The ability to cruise along on flat inland water, surveying the sights, is another advantage. Finally, its a good core workout. If youre sold on the idea, schedule an intro SUP lesson, free with board and paddle rental, and you may find yourself riding the waves like a Polynesian king.More

Many of us remember coming home from our elementary schools with freshly glazed pinchpots, cups, or whatever else our young imaginations could conjure up. Saturday mornings at the Randall Museum can bring that memory back, or create a new one for the youngsters. Ceramics make great gifts — especially on Mothers' and Fathers' Day. Hop on board for the Randall's once-weekly class, and for $6 and two weeks to have your work fired and glazed, you'll have all the materials you need.More

Once famous throughout the league as a haven for misfits and rejects looking to resurrect their careers, the Raiders have for the last decade or more made an art from out of epically wrong personnel decisions.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Cities, Counties' Efforts to Ban Marijuana May Be Enshrined In Law

Just because marijuana is legal in California doesn't mean you have the right to access marijuana in California.

That's been more or less the message over the past year, as cities and counties across the state have been busy slapping outright bans on otherwise lawful activity.

As the East Bay Express reported last month, numerous California communities have enacted laws outlawing marijuana in various forms -- some banning dispensaries, others telling people they can't grow legal cannabis on their properties -- in the wake of a 2013 state Supreme Court decision. That decision says communities have the right to pass a law that bans activity allowed under a previous law. In other words, the right for weed-hating places to say "no" is inching close to becoming law.

In the Supreme Court decision, judges affirmed the City of Riverside's right to ban medical cannabis dispensaries within city limits. In their opinion brief, the judges found that the state's overly broad medical marijuana laws don't preempt localities from enacting bans. Those state laws include Prop. 215, which was passed in 1996 and says sick people have the right to use marijuana, however it says nothing about where that weed must come from.

Now it looks like it will have to be the people or nothing, as the Legislature is moving towards making cities' abilities to ban marijuana stores and marijuana cultivation part of California law.

For some time, San Francisco's own Assemblyman Tom Ammiano has been trying to pass statewide rules on medical cannabis, rather than the patchwork of oft-conflicting local rules and regulations (San Mateo County, for example, bans dispensaries; that's one reason why the pot clubs in southern San Francisco do good business).

Standing in his way have been the League of California Cities, an influential lobbyist group that opposes any set of state rules that would erode cities' abilities to ban cannabis, lobbyist Tim Cromartie told SF Weekly.

As the EBX reported, currently, medical marijuana users unlucky enough to live in the Central Valley, for instance, must drive 50 miles or more to the nearest legal medical cannabis store. Almost 1/4 of the state's cannabis users have to make a similar drive to find legal weed, an Americans for Safe Access survey found.

Earlier Ammiano legislation said that cities of 50,000 people or more should have at least one dispensary. That would be a "violation of municipal sovereignty," a fired-up Cromartie said. "The state has no business interfering with that."

It also means that cities and counties across the state will continue to put sick people and/or stoned people out on the roads to find other places willing to collect taxes on a marijuana sale, while meanwhile helping local drug dealers' business.

About The Author

Bio:
Chris Roberts has spent most of his adult life working in San Francisco news media, which is to say he's still a teenager in Middle American years. He has covered marijuana, drug policy, and politics for SF Weekly since 2009.

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Sub Pop recording artists 'clipping.' brought their brand of noise-driven experimental hip hop to the closing night of 2016's San Francisco Electronic Music Fest this past Sunday. The packed Brava Theater hosted an initially seated crowd that ended the night jumping and dancing against the front of the stage. The trio performed a set focused on their recently released Sci-Fi Horror concept album, 'Splendor & Misery', then delved into their dancier and more aggressive back catalogue, and recent single 'Wriggle'.
Opening performances included local experimental electronic duo 'Tujurikkuja' and computer music artist 'Madalyn Merkey.'"